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MOVIE MAGIC

They may look like industrial parks, but these vast factory blocks house the amazing sets for blockbuster movies like Star Wars and James Bond

Fantastic aerial shots reveal the bland-looking studios where Skyfall, Harry Potter and Star Wars: The Force Awakens were filmed

THEY may look like humble factories and business parks, but some of the world's most celebrated film stars have graced the sets of England's top film studios Pinewood, Leavesdon and Longcross.

Amazing new aerial shots reveal the somwhat bland exteriors of the studios that are brimming with all kinds of imagination inside, creating some of the world's biggest blockbusters in the process.

Pinewood studios in Buckinghamshire is famed as the home of the James Bond franchise, including Skyfall, but has also seen big budget productions like Nanny McPhee and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
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Pinewood studios in Buckinghamshire is famed as the home of the James Bond franchise, including Skyfall, but has also seen big budget productions like Nanny McPhee and Star Wars: The Force AwakensCredit: Fame Flynet
Warner Bros studio in Leavesden, Hertfordshire is home to big blockbuster franchises like Harry Potter
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Warner Bros studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire is home to big blockbuster franchises like Harry PotterCredit: Fame Flynet
Longcross Studios in Surrey is home to TV favourites Call The Midwife and Broadchurch, as well as big blockbuster films
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Longcross Studios in Surrey is home to TV favourites Call The Midwife and Broadchurch, as well as big blockbuster filmsCredit: Fame Flynet

Pinewood Studios has a rich film history tracking all the way back to the 1930s. It was built on the estate of Heatherden Hall, hosted army film production units during WWII and became the home of the Carry On and Doctor films in the 1960s.

Pinewood is home to the 007 Stage, originally built for 1997's The Spy Who Loved Me, but has since been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fire.
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Pinewood is home to the 007 Stage, originally built for 1997's The Spy Who Loved Me, but has since been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by firesCredit: Fame Flynet
Pinewood's proximity to ancient woodland Burnham Beeches and Black Park meant it was a desirable location for films including Robin Hood Prince of Thieves and Harry Potter and The Order of Phoenix.
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Pinewood's proximity to ancient woodland Burnham Beeches and Black Park meant it was a desirable location for films including Robin Hood Prince of Thieves and Harry Potter and The Order of PhoenixCredit: Fame Flynet
In 1989, the set of Batman's Gothic City was constructed at Pine Wood.
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In 1989, the set of Batman's Gothic City was constructed at PinewoodCredit: Fame Flynet
Cinderella; Fury;Gravity;Ant-Man and X-Men First Class are just a few of the blockbusters filmed at Pinewood in the last few years
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Cinderella, Fury, Gravity, Ant-Man and X-Men: First Class are just a few of the blockbusters filmed at Pinewood in the last few yearsCredit: Fame Flynet

Recent times have seen Benedict Cumberbatch grace the stages of Pinewood for his role in Marvel's Doctor Strange, as well as the stars of last year's Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Pinewood's owners have constructed multi-million pound grass roofs to help the units blend into the surroundings
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Pinewood's owners have constructed multi-million pound grass roofs to help the units blend into the surroundingsCredit: Fame Flynet

Warner Bros studios in Leavesden is another big budget studio hidden in the English countryside and is home to the Harry Potter franchise as well as big film industry hitters like Jason Bourne and Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.

The was once an aerodrome, but now hosts scores of actors and crews creating blockbusters
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The site was once an aerodrome, but now hosts scores of actors and crews creating much loved blockbustersCredit: Fame Flynet
Eddie Redmayne headed to Leavesden to film recent hit Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
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Eddie Redmayne headed to Leavesden to film recent hit Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find ThemCredit: Fame Flynet

Most famously the home of the Harry Potter franchise, for which the site still hosts a visitor attraction, Leavesden is the site of choice for upcoming action films Wonder Woman and Justice League.

While the studio is owned by Warner Bros and is home to the Harry Potter Studio Tour, studio space is available to rent for any production
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While the studio is owned by Warner Bros and is home to the Harry Potter Studio Tour, studio space is available to rent for any productionCredit: Fame Flynet

Charlie Hunnam is currently filming upcoming epic adventure King Arthur: Legend of the Sword at the legendary studios. It's also Guy Ritchie's latest directional effort.

The set for the upcoming epic King Arthur : Legend of the Sword can be spotted at Leavesden
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 The set for the upcoming epic King Arthur: Legend of the Sword can be spotted at LeavesdenCredit: Fame Flynet
Leavesden Studios was once an aircraft factory and airfield during World War II,
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Leavesden Studios was once an aircraft factory and airfield during World War II, a centre of aircraft productionCredit: Fame Flynet

The studios contain around 50,000 m2 of space and even one of the largest filtered and heated stage-based water tanks in Europe.

Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill have been filming upcoming adventure Justice League at Leavesden, due for release next year
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Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill have been filming upcoming adventure Justice League at Leavesden, due for release next yearCredit: Fame Flynet
The site was officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2013, twenty years after it's original conversion into studios
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The site was officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2013, twenty years after it's original conversion into studios and a year after refurbishmentsCredit: Fame Flynet

Another of England's biggest studios is nestled 25 miles west of London in Longcross, Surrey.

The classic Kenneth Branagh movie Murder on The Orient Express was filmed at Longcross
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The classic Kenneth Branagh movie Murder on The Orient Express was filmed at Longcross StudiosCredit: Fame Flynet

More recently, Longcross has been home to some the nation's favourite TV

programmes, including Call The Midwife and series two of Broadchurch.

Big budget films like War Horse, Fast & Furious 6 and parts of Skyfall have been filmed at Longcross Studios
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Big budget films like War Horse, Fast & Furious 6 and parts of Skyfall have been filmed at Longcross StudiosCredit: Fame Flynet

The studios are built on the former site of a tank factory and the QinetoQ (ex- Ministry of Defence) Longcross track test.

The studio has five sound stages, ranging from 8,000 to 42,000 square feet
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The studio has five sound stages, ranging from 8,000 to 42,000 square feetCredit: Fame Flynet
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